Harmison denies he is only back for Stanford cash

Until his return at Headingley, Steve Harmison had been absent from England's one-day side for almost two years. Photograph: Matthew Childs/Action Images

Steve Harmison is prepared to turn his back on a £500,000 payday in Antigua in November to prove that his return to England's one-day team last week was not money-motivated. The Durham fast bowler feels uneasy about the possibility of gate-crashing England's match against Sir Allen Stanford's All Stars for the lavish winners-take-all purse on November 1.

As he prepared for today's third one-day international against South Africa, in which England could clinch the series 3-0, he said: "It's awkward. I've told the captain and the coach what my feelings are. I don't want to say it in public but they know how I feel about what's happening.

"I'd rather keep it in-house. They are going to pick a squad. I've told them what I would like and they said 'Fine'. I didn't see myself playing in the current series, which would have put me out of the Stanford anyway. I'm available for the winter, from now - every one-day international. If I get picked for that game there is not much I can do about it, but the captain and coach know how I feel. I've not played a Twenty20 for England since the Rose Bowl against Australia in 2005.

"Everyone is talking about it, saying 'He has come back for the money', but I have come back for cricketing reasons only. It feels like I've been criticised for everything, even changing my socks."

Harmison, who will be 30 in October, retired from England's one-day setup just under two years ago. His return got under way early last week. "I played for Durham at Trent Bridge. Durham won and I bowled quite well. KP [Pietersen] sent me a text message asking me to come back and play in the one-dayers. I laughed it off but he asked about the winter. So I went and had a chat with him and the coach. They asked me what I had planned. I said I was going to South Africa [to prepare for England's tour to India]. It was an informal chat. There was no pressure put on.

"I spoke to the family. I spoke to Geoff Cook and Dale Benkenstein at Durham because they've been great for me. I came back from New Zealand not in the Test team and not bowling very well, with my head all over the place. But I went back and played for Durham and sorted everything out. Everybody said I should play. I don't know what changed my mind. But I love playing for England. I missed it. And I've enjoyed being in the one-day squad.

"When I retired I'd spent four and a bit years on the road. I was knackered and my head was gone. I packed in for cricket reasons. I wasn't bowling well and I wasn't enjoying my cricket. Now I've come back for cricket reasons. The family is also a lot more stable. I've got four children and I don't envisage having any more."

Harmison, who had made a successful return to the Test side at The Oval last month, took two wickets on his one-day comeback at Headingley on Friday and two more - in one over - in the second match at Trent Bridge. Now he is ditching his plans to go to South Africa and will warm up for the Tests in India by playing in the one-day matches there.

The England setup, he says, is more "chilled out" than when he left it in New Zealand last March. "It's more relaxed. It was very intense. The squad is more settled and having Andrew Flintoff in the team is massive."

Comparing the current pace quartet with that which helped bowl England to the Ashes in 2005, he added: "I'd say this one has more pace in it. And you can't rule Ryan [Sidebottom] out, because he's been our best bowler for 14 months, so he's got to come back."

South Africa have it all to do today and they will be without their captain, Graeme Smith, who has tennis elbow, so Jacques Kallis, their most experienced player, will lead the side with a promise not to roll over as meekly as they did on Tuesday. "We have to come up and play some good cricket," he said. "The pressure is on England to win the series. I think it's going to be a tough couple of matches."

About this article

Harmison denies he is only back for Stanford cash

This article appeared on p9 of the Sport section of the Guardian
on Thursday 28 August 2008.
It was published on
the Guardian website
at 19.01 EDT on Thursday 28 August 2008.
It was last modified at 20.12 EDT on Thursday 28 August 2008.
It was first published at 19.08 EDT on Thursday 28 August 2008.